Antoine Semenyo seals £62.5m Man City transfer with EFL club set for cash windfall

Manchester City have completed the signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth on a five-and-a-half year deal.

The Premier League title hopefuls have completed a £62.5million deal – a record sale for Bournemouth – after activating the winger’s release clause at the Cherries.

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City are paying slightly above his £60m release clause, while there is also £1.5m in potential add-ons built into the deal.

Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur were all linked, but it’s City who have won the race for Semenyo.

However, Liverpool never made a formal approach for the player.

He arrives at the Etihad Stadium as a statement signing ahead of the second half of the 2025/26 campaign.

City are going head-to-head with Arsenal for the Premier League title with Pep Guardiola’s side losing ground on the Gunners in recent games.

They’ve drawn their last three matches – against Brighton, Chelsea and Sunderland – with Arsenal being five points clear at the top of the Premier League table prior to their showdown at home to Liverpool on Thursday night.

However, the acquisition of Semenyo could have a galvanising effect on City and help them put more pressure on Mikel Arteta’s men.

Semenyo’s former club earn huge fee

Semenyo scored 32 goals in 110 games across all competitions for Bournemouth, with his final act a winner against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

The Ghana international joined in January 2023 from Championship outfit Bristol City, who will be given a huge financial boost as a result.

talkSPORT understands they will earn 20 per cent of the profit that Bournemouth make from the transfer.

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Semenyo signed for the Cherries for around £10m. With Bournemouth banking around a £52.5m profit, Bristol City are set to receive in the region of £10.5m as he makes the move to Manchester.

The new City star joined the Robins’ academy in 2017 and had loan spells at Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland.

Semenyo made 125 senior appearances for Bristol City, in which he netted 21 goals and assisted a further 21.

Having left the club and excelled at Bournemouth, he has earned a move to one of the biggest clubs in the country.

He has the opportunity to make his debut in European football as City look set for the Champions League knockout stage.

They sit fourth in the league phase, with a top eight finish sending straight through to the last 16.

UEFA rules allow clubs competing in all three competitions to register a maximum of three new eligible players in January.

City will therefore be able to add Semenyo to their squad once the league phase has concluded and before the knockout stage begins.